Excerpt from Proportion and Harmony of Line and Color: In Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture an Essay in Comparative AEsthetics In many important regards the conceptions and conclusions of this volume differ from those ordinary presented with reference to the subjects of which it treats. When considering, for instance, the first of the two general topics discussed, the view expressed in Gwilt's "Encyclopedia of Architecture," and still quite prevalent, to the effect that proportion is "but a synonym for fitness," is entirely ignored. This is not because of any undervaluation of the aesthetic importance of fitness, but because it is recognized that this latter characterizes many other artistic arrangements of form, as those of rhythm, tune, and color; and because it is recognized also that no amount of mere fitness could cause, or even suggest, that which is generally meant not only by artists but by people in general when they speak of proportion. When using this term in any strict or technical sense they almost invariably refer to an effect of measurements indicating a certain mathematical relationship between the parts of a product as compared with one another and with the whole. This effect of proportion thus interpreted is further limited in this book by being ascribed to measurements that are apparent as distinguished from actual. It is shown that we judge of the proportions of the parts of a body or of a building when viewing each from a distance, not when examining it near at hand. This conclusion is reached and emphasized by pointing out the difference between proportion and perspective. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."